ORGÁNOSI I: Broken Mask

ANTECEDENT: CHAPTER 14

ANTECEDENT: CHAPTER 14

AMIDST the severe headache, the nauseous feeling, and the vomiting, Midnight continued his psychotherapy with Silvanus. No obstacle could discourage him. Determined to uncover the truth, he willingly bore the pain and discomfort that ravaged his body every day.

He was betting his sanity on this, after all.

"At the count of five..." Silvanus woke Midnight up from the hypnosis, then observed him for a couple of seconds before writing on his tablet.

"Any headaches?" Silvanus asked.

Midnight shook his head. "Not at the moment."

"Feeling any discomfort?" Silvanus asked again.

Midnight shook his head again.

"That's good." Silvanus noted something on his tablet and smiled at Midnight. "It seemed our session today did not put a strain on your mind."

Midnight pressed his lips together and looked down. "Maybe because nothing really happened in the fourth lab room. It's a training room."

Silvanus frowned at that. "Fourth lab room?"

"Yeah."

Silvanus' frown deepened. "Aren't we in the third lab room?"

Midnight raised his eyes at Silvanus. "Yes. But it's the fourth room in real life."

Now Silvanus was confused. "Wait. Hold up. Can you explain to me in details the different rooms in that laboratory?"

Midnight opened his mouth, but however much he wanted to tell Silvanus all the details, he could not make a sound. It was like an invisible hand was choking him and his mind was blank, as if he had forgotten what he wanted to say.

"Night? Night!" Silvanus shakes Midnight's shoulder, seeing that dazed look in his eyes. He knew something was wrong. "Snap out of it. Midnight!"

Hearing his name being called, Midnight was pulled out from his own reverie. He blinked at Silvanus. "What...happened?"

Worry was visible on Silvanus' face as he observed Midnight. He seemed...okay. "It seems that your mind recognizes the topic of the laboratory as a taboo."

Midnight's lips parted in slight disbelief. "Is that really possible?"

Silvanus leaned back in his seat with a sigh. "After more than a decade of hypnosis—nothing is impossible. This is the result of years of planting suggestions in your head. That's why it's hard to reverse what they did to you." He sighed again. "Hypnosis is not really harmful if done to help someone, but if it is done with bad intentions, then it becomes dangerous. Especially if the hypnotist was given more than a decade to mess with your brain."

Midnight became silent as his hand clenched.

Silvanus added. "They started doing hypnosis on you at a very young age, where your mind is susceptible to psychological suggestions. The brain fully develops in the mid-to-late twenties. How do you think a young mind could endure such psychological trauma?"

When Midnight remained silent, Silvanus handed him a notebook and a pen. "Here. Take this."

Midnight gave Silvanus a questioning look.

Silvanus playfully tapped the top of Midnight's head with the notebook before handing the notebook and the pen to him. "I'm giving you an assignment."

Midnight accepted the notebook. "Assignment?"

"Yep. I want you to write in that notebook what you wanted to do after you get better."

Midnight raised his eyes at Silvanus. "What I want...to do?" It was such a foreign concept to him. He was always under his father's orders that doing what he 'wanted to do' was something that never crossed his mind. At all.